Winter Continues

At one poSnow 2009int I was wondering if winter would ever arrive in Oslo.  Well, it did!  The picture on the right was taken in January, and illustrates just how much snow was falling at times!  There were a couple of weekends that were more or less nonstop snow!

Much of the snow has melted, but there are still piles along many roads, and in some parts of town, the sidewalks aren’t completely clear yet.  In fact, there was more snow this weekend, but it did not really stick.  –I’m talking about in Oslo, near the center of the city.  The further out you get, the more snow there is.  It’s important to remember that the city is situated more or less in a bowl.  The center of the city is located on the Oslofjorden, and the rest of the city rises up around it.  This is also why you can reach ski locations in less than an hour on the trams.

I am more or less ready for spring to arrive, however.  Don’t get me wrong, I love snow, but after a while you get tired of the ice and puddles of water.  From what I hear, though, our current weather may continue for a while – maybe into April.  Whatever comes, I’m sure I’ll manage.

The edge of Oslo

Last week it was suggested that I travel to Frognerseteren, a location on the Northwestern edge of Oslo.  It is the last stop of Line 1 on the T-bane.  Where I live, there was a tiny bit of snow.  Up at Frognerseteren, well, take a look at the picture below.Frognerseteren Area

Frognerseteren Area Small.jpgFrognerseteren is a very popular area, especially during weekends when people go skiing and sleding.  There is even a ski lift!  Cross country skiing is also very popular in the area from what I saw while I was up there.  I need to go back as I only headed north of the station, but apparently there are some nicer views of the city a bit south of the station.

A word of advice, though, go early, and get on at a station in the middle of the station.  –I got on at Stortinget and there weren’t many seats left.  Lots of people with skis, though!  It’s about a 40 minute journey, but worth it.  Here’s one of the views I did find looking towards the city.Frognerseteren

Snow!

Well, the election is over, and I’ve managed to pull myself away from Fallout 3 long enough for a quick post.

Back on October 29, Oslo had a snow day!  It really was quite beautiful, as you can see from the picture below.  Since then it’s ranged from quite warm to a bit chilly, but nothing too bad.  This morning was extremely wet, though.  I’m really hoping to see more snow later this winter (hopefully sooner rather than later).

From what I can tell – we’ll see if I still believe this in a couple of months – if you can survive a Chicago winter, you can survive winter in Oslo.  The biggest difference is the days are shorter over here.Snow in Oslo - November 2008